The happiest people in life are not necessarily the wealthiest people in life

 

There is a common tendency for people to be depressed in life because they think they are poor. Poverty cannot really be defined as the absence of money. Poverty is a state of mind. The good news in life is that the happiest people are not necessarily the wealthiest people. Money answereth all problems, so the famous saying goes in life. Unfortunately, money does not answer all problems. Money can buy a woman but it cannot buy a wife. Money can buy friends but it cannot buy loyalty. Be happy and contented with what you have. You will never know what the people whom you view as wealthy are going through. For every single penny you make, there is a price to pay for it. Human beings are very good at hiding their true feelings from the general public. Therefore it is unwise to look at someone who is swimming in wealth as happy, you do not know the price he had to pay to drive those cars. Because of the love for money, people have done terrible things such as selling their souls to the devil for money, trafficking of human spare parts, embezzling huge sums of money, stealing or online scamming. Even though this people will look happy outside, you are not there when they are alone in their rooms. Be contented with what you have now and work harder to get to your destination. It may take long, but what you desire may come to pass. There is a place for everybody in life. Your life is what you make it. You may have little in life but you make the best out of life, more that somebody who has millions in his bank account. You may not be able to afford for roast turkey, but you may be able to afford for roast fish with the little you have. Likewise you may not be able to afford for an expensive bottle of juice but you can afford for a cheaper one. What matters is your state of mind. Choose to be happy today. Do not envy those who appear to be successful. You do not know the path they have taken in life to get to where they are. But work hard to get to where you want to be.

Health Benefits of Bitter Leaf

Bitter leaf is a very common plant in west and central Africa. It is known scientifically as Vernonia amygdalina. Many people today do not know bitter leaf is more than a bitter leaf. It can give health benefits that you will spend huge amounts to get from a hospital or a pharmacy. In order to get the best medicinal and healing properties from bitter leaf, you will need to get the juice out of it. You can juice it by rubbing a few leaves in your palm and squeezing out the juice. If you have a blender then you can chop it up and blend and strain the juice out with a sieve.  Bitter leaf contains vitamins like vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B 12.

1 Bitter leaf brings down your blood sugar levels

Taking bitter leaf juice is known to bring down high levels of blood sugar.

2 bitter leaf cures body itches and skin rashes such as eczema, ring worm or scabies

Bitter leaf contains antibacterial and anti-fungi properties.  Apply the fresh juice on affected areas as often as needed.

3 Bitter leaf has been found to alleviate fever

When you feel feverish take bitter leaf juice till the fever goes down. If you have problems drinking the juice because of its bitter taste, try adding honey or sugar unless you are diabetic.

4 Nursing and breastfeeding mothers

Drinking bitter leaf juice helps in increasing breast milk production in nursing mothers. Drink one glass of bitter leaf juice twice a day or as often as needed.

5 bitter leaf detoxifies and cleans your system

Taking bitter leaf juice helps the body get rid of toxins.

6 contraction of uterus

Bitter leaf is able to contract the uterus and can be used to induce labour. Women who live in villages like Mundame in Kumba, south west Region of Cameroon make a woman drink bitter leaf juice at the onset of labour and after delivering to contract the uterus

Precaution: If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, taking excessive amounts of bitter leaf juice can cause miscarriage. It is advisable to take any recommended antipyretic like efferalgan to bring down your fever if you are pregnant.

After knowing how important bitter leaf is, hope you will no longer have bitter feelings toward bitter leaf. It helps if you add pineapple, orange, carrot juice or any other sweetener of your choice to sweeten the bitter leaf juice.

Sources:

Health benefits of bitter leaf. Available online at http://www.nigerianfoodtv.com/2013/06/health-benefits-of-bitter-leaf-vernonia.html accessed on June 30 2015.

Top five health benefits of bitter leaf. Last updated on December 26, 2013. Available online at http://www.naturalnews.com/043321_bitter_leaf_health_benefits_herbal_medicine.html accessed on July 3, 2015.

Bitter leaf and its health benefits. Available online at http://diet234.com/bitter-leaf-health-benefits/  accessed on July 1, 2015.

5 things Women in their 20's should do to avoid Diseases in their 50's

It is always better and cheaper to prevent diseases than to cure it. Women in their 20’s are at the right stage to lay the foundation for their life. A healthy choice now will determine whether you will age terribly or age gracefully. As a woman in your 20’s, there are some choices that must be incorporated into your lifestyle. It is very common to see our parents in their 50’s complain of hypertension, overweight, joint pain, stress, growths, and diabetes just to name a few. The more time advances, the more diseases and health problems we seem to face. Celebrities like Jada Smith do not look good and healthy by just sitting on one spot. They work hard to be healthy. Here are 5 things to do to prevent diseases in the future.

1 Eat what will benefit your health

The choice of food you eat today will affect your tomorrow. Do not take your good health today for granted. If you were not taught nutrition 101 in school, the Internet and health team is there to inform you. Avoid eating too much of sweets, high fatty foods, drinking too much wine and beer. Your life is in your hands. If there is anything on earth around you that will benefit your health, it is wise you go and acquire the taste for it. Likewise if there is anything you are consuming that will benefit your health, it is wise you try as much as possible to limit the consumption of such products.

2 Exercise regularly

Exercise is very important for a woman. Do not compare yourself to men. You need to exercise regularly. There are serious consequences for you if you neglect your body. Abdominal exercises are also very important. It helps your abdomen regain shape after you give birth. Exercising regularly reduces the chances of you having diseases caused by overweight. Exercise makes you vibrant, strong, flexible and feeling young. If you do not have the habit of exercising for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week, go and acquire the habit.

3 No matter the amount of whitening lotion you use, you will always be considered a black-love your skin colour.

Michael Jackson changed from black to white. The beauty of his new skin was short lived. If you were born a dark person, stay a dark person and enjoy your skin. There are things you should do bring out the beauty of your colour. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly will bring out the beauty of your colour. Avoid rubbing body lotions that have Hydroquinone as one of the components because hydroquinone has been proven by researchers to destroy your skin. Consult a dermatologist before using any suspicious chemicals on your body

4 Learn how to manage stress and anxiety

Every woman on earth is stressed over one thing or the other. But they learn how to deal and cope with stress. It is important for women to know that how much they age in life is dependent on stress, their lifestyle and genetics. If you succeed in controlling stress and living a healthy lifestyle then you have only genetics to worry about. It is very common to see women who look 10 years older than their real age. There are many books that teach women on the management of stress. An example is a book titles ‘Straight Talk: Overcoming Emotional Battles with the Power of God’s help” by Christian Televangelist and pastor, Joyce Meyer. If you don’t take control of stress, stress will take control of your life.

5 Always go for checkups

Take care of your health. A woman’s body is very good at hiding diseases. It is now up to you to go for checkups so that some diseases can be discovered and treated early. Most importantly, always go for breast cancer screening and cervical cancer screening. It is very necessary to go to the hospital once a year and do a complete review of your body by a Doctor. Diseases such as cervical and breast cancer have been treated at their various initial stages.

9 things you can advise your parents to do when they constantly complain of joint pain

Does your mother or father complain about joint pain so often? It seems to be the common pain faced by adults who are 50 years and above. But before you start to take remedies for your joint pain, it is advisable to consult in a hospital (please, do not go to road side vendours or some self-proclaimed nurses with no medical knowledge/nursing license who operate drug stores in their homes or in a market. This people sell drugs only on the basis of your symptom). This is because you need to get the exact cause of your joint pain through a complete diagnosis, lab investigation and sometimes through the use of x-rays.

We ignore our health when we are healthy and only begin to look for answers when we are faced with problems. We take health for granted. There are many causes for joint pain: arthritis which is the most common is the inflammation of one or more joints. There are two kinds of arthritis, osteo arthritis (wearing down of cartilage between bones at a joint until there is friction between bone surfaces) and rheumatoid arthritis (which is an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation of the synovial membrane, a tissue that protects our joints). Other causes of joint pain include: gout, bursitis, strain (tendinitis) or sprain.

Joint pain can occur in any joint of the body but the most common is the knee. The pain can be mild or severe but remember regenerative conditions like arthritis needs to be diagnosed and treated properly. The following home remedies for joint pain can help reduce the pain. However, this home remedies is not supposed to be substituted with medical treatment. If you don’t have joint pain, consider this home remedies as a preventive measure.

1 Use garlic: garlic contains sulphur and selenium. This compounds have shown to relieve joint pain due to arthritis. Sulphur helps to relieve joint pain by reducing inflammation and selenium has an anti-rheumatoid effect.

·        Include garlic in your diet. You may also eat raw garlic, consuming about two cloves daily.

2 massage therapy:  massage helps to relieve pain by improving blood circulation. Use warm oil like olive, castor oil and massage the area over the joint.

3 use heat and cold therapy:

Heat therapy: this is the process of applying heat on the skin above the painful joint. Applying heat helps improve circulation to the joint, relieves the pain in the muscles and joints. Do not apply heat directly to the joint

·        Use a hot compress. Soak a face towel in hot water and apply over the joint for about 2 minutes. You can do this for about 10 minutes till you feel better.

Caution: do not use heat therapy if the skin above the joint is inflamed as well; if it is red, swollen, painful or warm to touch

Cold therapy: this is the opposite of heat therapy. In this case you use ice. Wrap the ice in a towel before applying on the skin. Do this for about 3 minutes. If you do not have circulatory problems you may alternate the heat and cold therapy for about 20 minutes.

4 lose weight: calculate your body mass index (BMI) to determine if you suffer from overweight or obesity. If you are then you will need to shed some extra pounds. Extra weight gives a lot of stress to your joints and bones because they have to carry the whole body. This therefore puts more pressure especially on the hip, knee joint and ankle. Reducing your weight will improve your mobility and decrease the pain felt around your joints while preventing future complications due to overweight.

5 Engage in exercise: exercise does not only help you to lose weight but it helps improve circulation and maintains flexibility around your joints. It is not advisable to engage in difficult weight bearing exercises like running. If you love swimming then go in for it. Also go in for low impact exercises that do not involve stressing the joints like abdominal exercises, sit ups, leg lifts and so on. But consult your doctor or nurse to ensure you are on the right tract.

6 Consume turmeric: turmeric is a yellow spice common in indian dishes. If you can’t come across turmeric try looking for turmeric powder in the supermarket. Turmeric contains a chemical called curcumin that has anti-inflammatory properties and it may reduce arthritis pain.

·        You may take half teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix in a glass of water or milk and take it for about three days.

·        You may also consult with your health care provider so you can be prescribed turmeric capsules. It is important to note that the consumption of turmeric may interfere with certain medications such as blood thinners so consult a health care provider before consuming turmeric seeds.

7 Use ginger: ginger contains anti-inflammatory properties. This therefore means that it can help relieve muscle and joint pain.

·        Include ginger as a spice in your meals

·        You may also consume ginger in any way that is suitable to you. You may choose to consume fresh ginger or grind fresh ginger and pour a cup of hot water into it, strain and drink as tea.

8 Use Fenugreek seeds: if you come across fenugreek seeds it can be very helpful in relieving joint pain due to arthritis. This is because it contains anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

·        Mix a teaspoon of ground fenugreek seeds and mix in a glass of warm water and drink. Do this daily for about three days. You may also choose to soak the fenugreek seeds in water for about 12 hours and eat it.

9 Consume more magnesium and calcium:

We need magnesium in our body. However our body cannot manufacture magnesium. Magnesium aids in in relieving stiffness and reduces pain. People who take magnesium or its supplements have higher bone density and stronger bones. Always eat foods that are rich in magnesium such as dark leafy green vegetables, nuts and legumes (for example beans).

Calcium has a calming effect in our body. It acts as a tranquilizer. This means that calcium has a calming effect on our muscles and therefore helps to reduce chronic pain especially those associated with injuries. Calcium is also used to treat various forms of arthritis. Calcium is found in beans, milk, cheese, yogurt, dark leafy vegetables and calcium supplements. You may need to consult with a physician or nutritionist to guide you on how to consume calcium if you are lactose intolerant.

Resource

http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-joint-pain.html/3

http://everydayroots.com/arthritis-remedies

http://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/arthritis-natural-relief

http://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/knee-pain-home-remedies

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/10-ways-get-enough-calcium-if-youre-lactose-intolerant

http://www.freefrompaintoday.com/understanding-pain-caused-by-calcium-deficiency/

Disclaimer

The contents of this site is for the purpose of information and education. 

This information should not be substituted for medical advice and treatment. It should rather be taken as a measure to prevent diseases. 

All materials gotten from other sites will be referenced accordingly.

Mediterranean Diet and Alzheimer's Disease Prevention

There is an urgent need to identify strategies to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

The role of diet as a prevention strategy is controversial. Some research evidence supports a role for a Mediterranean diet in cognitive health and dementia prevention.

A recent brain imaging study adds to this evidence. Dr. Lisa Mosconi and colleagues at New York University School of Medicine completed a cross-sectional study of brain magnetic resonance imaging and diet was completed in 52 older cognitively normal individuals.

The key elements of the design of this study were:

• Subjects: Community subjects participating in a longitudinal brain imaging study with a mean age of 54 years (standard deviation 12 years). Approximately 2/3 of the subjects were women.
• Study measures: Dietary information was collected using the Harvard/Willet food frequency questionnaire and subjects were rated on adherence to a Mediterranean diet using the MeDi. This scale rates intake of fruit, vegetables, legumes, cereal and fish as beneficial with dairy and meat intake rated detrimental. Information on dietary fat and alcohol were also used rated for a nine-item Mediterranean diet score. Subjects scoring greater than 5 were rated as Mediterranean diet adherent. 
• Brain imaging: All subjects completed a cross-sectional brain MRI using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Volumetric brain measures were calculated using FreeSurfer software.
• Statistical analysis: Multivariate general linear modeling was used to assess the correlation of diet (high vs low Mediterranean diet adherence) with correction for a variety of potential confounding variables including age, gender, family history of Alzheimer's disease, APOE gene status and BMI.

The brain analysis focused on regions of the brain known to show atrophy with Alzheimer's dementia. 

This analysis showed Mediterranean diet adherent subjects with statistically significant greater brain thickness measures in the left brain hemisphere for:

• entorhinal cortex
• orbitofrontal cortex
• posterior cingulate cortex

This effect was found in the uncorrected volumetric data and the relationship remained with correction for age and total intracranial volume measures.

The authors note previous brain imaging studies have linked cognitive decline and dementia with atrophy of the left hemisphere regions of the brain found significantly linked to Mediterranean diet adherence in this study.

An additional brain area of atrophy in Alzheimer's is the hippocampus a region not addressed in the current research study.

The take home message here is that this study:

"provides support for further exploration of dietary behavior as a possible AD (Alzheimer's disease) prevention strategy".

The sample size is this study is relatively small and will need replication in other larger sample sizes. 

There was no correlation with neuropsychological scores and Mediterranean diet in this study. This is not surprising as the subjects were recruited as being cognitively normal.

It will be interesting to see in the longitudinal follow up if Mediterranean Diet adherence relates to neuropsychological performance and brain atrophy over time.

Readers with more interest in this research can find the free full-text manuscript by clicking on the PMID link in the citation below.

Photo of macaw is from the author's files.

Follow the author on Twitter @WRY999.

Mosconi L, Murray J, Tsui WH, Li Y, Davies M, Williams S, Pirraglia E, Spector N, Osorio RS, Glodzik L, McHugh P, & de Leon MJ (2014). Mediterranean Diet and Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Assessed Brain Atrophy in Cognitively Normal Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease. The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease, 1 (1), 23-32 PMID: 25237654

Fitness Linked to Brain White Matter Integrity in Aging

Cardiovascular fitness has been correlated with a variety of beneficial effects on brain structure and cognition.

These correlations have not proven causality but they do support continued imaging and brain function studies.

Scott Hayes from the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston School of Medicine recently published an information study on this topic.

Brain white matter integrity is now open for study using diffusion tensor imaging, available from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

In the current study, the research team used the following key elements in their study design:

• Subjects: 34 younger adults between 18-31 years of age and 33 older adults between 55-82 years of age free of significant medical, neurological illness without a history of traumatic brain injury.
• Fitness Testing Protocol: All subjects completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing via treadmill testing to determine fitness levels via an estimation of peak oxygen consumption.
• Imaging Protocol: Brain MRI using 3 Tesla Siemens scanner
• Statistical Analysis: Measures of white matter integrity were compared between younger and older age groups. Additionally, peak VO2 was used as a covariate interaction term.

The research team found some interesting results including the following: 

1. Older age contributed significantly to measures of impairment in white matter microstructure across a wide anatomical distribution of the white matter tracts

2. Older adults with higher level fitness estimates had higher measures of white matter integrity approaching that seen in younger adults in the following brain regions:

• splenium
• sagittal stratum
• posterior corona radiata
• superior parietal lobe

3. Fitness levels in young adults were not correlated to measures of white matter

The positive association of better white matter integrity with higher levels of cardiovasular fitness seemed to occur at about the 75th percentile performance for VO2 by age. The older age high fitness group in this study had a mean estimated peak VO2 of 37.0 ml/kg per min compared to 23.7 in the low fitness older group.

The authors note that fitness in older men has significant brain benefits but cannot completely eliminate the effects of brain aging on white matter integrity. Some regions appear more benefited by higher fitness levels than others.

A key limitation of the current study is the cross-sectional design. The cross-sectional design limits causality interpretation between fitness and brain aging. It is possible a genetic or other factor contributes to both fitness and brain aging.

This study does not inform on the potential benefits of an exercise intervention to increase VO2 on white matter integrity.

Additionally, it does not inform on the potential of using fitness exercise to prevent or reduce the cognitive impairment linked to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. 

Nevertheless, this study does add to the growing evidence of a link between exercise and brain health. A positive effect on the brain white matter integrity may be a key component of this association.

Readers with more interest in this study can access the free full-text manuscript by clicking on the citation link below.

Image of corona radiata (posterior region area linked to improved integrity with higher fitness levels in current study) is a screen shot from the iPad app Brain Tutor.

Follow the author on Twitter at WRY999

Hayes SM, Salat DH, Forman DE, Sperling RA, & Verfaellie M (2015). Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with white matter integrity in aging. Annals of clinical and translational neurology, 2 (6), 688-98 PMID: 26125043